Grid power for hydrocarbon service applications

ABSTRACT

A grid power configuration may provide a reliable, efficient, inexpensive and environmentally conscious power source to a site, for example, a remote site such as a well services environment. Grid power may be provided for one or more operations at the site by coupling a main breaker to a switchgear unit coupled to one or more loads. The switchgear unit may be coupled to the main breaker via a main power distribution unit and may also be coupled to one or more loads. At least one of a grid power unit and a switchgear unit may be coupled to the main breaker via the main power distribution unit and may also be coupled to one or more additional loads. A control center may be communicatively coupled to the main breaker or any one or more other components to control one or more operations of the grid power configuration.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/553,006 filed on Aug. 27, 2019, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to providing grid power for oneor more operations at a site and, more particularly, to providing gridpower to a hydrocarbon service application at a site.

BACKGROUND

In general, pre-production or upstream hydrocarbon services operationsat a site utilize diesel-powered equipment, natural gas or both as thepower source for the site. For example, an electric stimulationoperation may utilize generators, such as turbines, that have as a fuelsource natural gas or diesel. Such generators require that the fuelsource be transported and stored at the site. However, each of thesefuel sources has an associated emission that at many sites may not beconducive to the operating constraints imposed for the site. Emissionstandards at some locations or sites are becoming more stringent suchthat current equipment is not conducive for meeting these more stringentemission standards. A need exists for an improved power source thatprovides the required power necessary for the equipment at a site whilemeeting emission standards.

FIGURES

Some specific exemplary embodiments of the disclosure may be understoodby referring, in part, to the following description and the accompanyingdrawings.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, IF, 1G, 1H and 1I are diagrams illustrating anexample grid power system, according to one or more aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example grid power systemenvironment, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example grid power systemenvironment, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for providing gridpower to an environment, for example, a hydrocarbon servicesenvironment, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an information handling system,according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and describedand are defined by reference to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure,such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no suchlimitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable ofconsiderable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form andfunction, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and havingthe benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodimentsof this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates generally to providing grid power at asite and, more particularly, to providing grid power of hydrocarbonservices at a site.

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described indetail herein. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actualimplementation may be described in this specification. It will of coursebe appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment,numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thespecific implementation goals, which will vary from one implementationto another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having thebenefit of the present disclosure.

Throughout this disclosure, a reference numeral followed by analphabetical character refers to a specific instance of an element andthe reference numeral alone refers to the element generically orcollectively. For example, a widget “1A” refers to an instance of awidget class, which may be referred to collectively as widgets “1” andany one of which may be referred to generically as widget “1”. In thefigures and the description, like numerals are intended to representlike elements. A numeral followed by the alphabetical characters “N”refers to any number of widgets.

To facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure, thefollowing examples of certain embodiments are given. In no way shouldthe following examples be read to limit, or define, the scope of thedisclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable todrilling operations that include but are not limited to target (such asan adjacent well) following, target intersecting, target locating, welltwinning such as in SAGD (steam assist gravity drainage) wellstructures, drilling relief wells for blowout wells, river crossings,construction tunneling, as well as horizontal, vertical, deviated,multilateral, u-tube connection, intersection, bypass (drill around amid-depth stuck fish and back into the well below), or otherwisenonlinear wellbores in any type of subterranean formation. Embodimentsmay be applicable to injection wells, and production wells, includingnatural resource production wells such as hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbonsor geothermal wells; as well as borehole construction for river crossingtunneling and other such tunneling boreholes for near surfaceconstruction purposes or borehole u-tube pipelines used for thetransportation of fluids such as hydrocarbons. Embodiments describedbelow with respect to one implementation are not intended to belimiting.

Many job sites or operations require a power source that is capable ofproviding power for an extensive area, to various equipment, at variousvoltage/current ratings, etc. all while meeting certain or specifiedemission standards. To meet these emission standards, a power source isneeded that provides the power required by the various equipment at asite for the various operations, for example, hydrocarbon services,without any or with very low emissions. A grid power source offers theopportunity supply large quantities of power to a site, even a remotesite, without the burdens (such as costs of storage and transportation,personnel and safety) associated with typical fuel-based power sources.The present disclosure provides a grid power system that is used as apower source or a power grid, to distribute power (for example,switchgear) and to transform power from one voltage to another. Forexample, the one or more grid power components are configured to and arecapable of supporting one or more hydrocarbon or well service operationssuch as hydraulic fracturing operations and delivery of clean fluid,slurry or proppant. The grid power source may support the providing ofpower to one or more sites. For example, the grid power source providesa utility grid power that can supply large quantities of hydraulic powerto large hydraulic fracturing treatments for the simultaneous fracturingat multiple well sites.

Using the grid power system as the power source to supply the requiredor necessary power to one or more well sites has several benefits overequipment that requires fuel-based power. For example, the costsassociated with a hydrocarbon service may be reduced as thetransportation and storage of fuel, additional personnel to manage andhandle the storage and maintenance and transportation of the fuel arenot required, less equipment is required, less maintenance of equipmentis required as electric powered equipment is generally more reliable andfewer personnel are required at the site. For example, a typicalgenerator with assorted support and connectivity equipment at ahydrocarbon services site requires a large footprint and requires thatlarge amounts of fuel be available to maintain operations withoutinterruption or down-time. The grid power system is compact and requiresless space, equipment and personnel than the corresponding fuel-basedpower sources. Such also reduces safety risks due to the decrease inequipment at the sight and exposure to fuel through delivery, storage,maintenance and distribution at the site of the fuel. Also, emissions ata site associated with the power source are reduced or eliminated whenthe power source is electrical as opposed to fuel-based. Additionally,noise associated with the operation of equipment at the site may bereduced as electric powered service equipment operates at a quieterlevel as compared to fuel-based equipment. The grid power system alsorequires a smaller footprint as compared to the fuel-based powersources. Thus, the grid power source provides inexpensive, safe andreliable power to a site, such as a hydrocarbon services site.

In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an environment mayutilize an information handling system to control, manage or otherwiseoperate one or more operations, devices, components, networks, any othertype of system or any combination thereof. For purposes of thisdisclosure, an information handling system may include anyinstrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities that are configured toor are operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive,retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record,reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, ordata for any purpose, for example, for a maritime vessel or operation.For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer,a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary insize, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The informationhandling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or moreprocessing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardwareor software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatilememory. Additional components of the information handling system mayinclude one or more disk drives, one or more network ports forcommunication with external devices as well as various input and output(I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. Theinformation handling system may also include one or more buses operableto transmit communications between the various hardware components. Theinformation handling system may also include one or more interface unitscapable of transmitting one or more signals to a controller, actuator,or like device.

For the purposes of this disclosure, computer-readable media may includeany instrumentality or aggregation of instrumentalities that may retaindata, instructions or both for a period of time. Computer-readable mediamay include, for example, without limitation, storage media such as asequential access storage device (for example, a tape drive), directaccess storage device (for example, a hard disk drive or floppy diskdrive), compact disk (CD), CD read-only memory (ROM) or CD-ROM, DVD,RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),and/or flash memory, biological memory, molecular or deoxyribonucleicacid (DNA) memory as well as communications media such wires, opticalfibers, microwaves, radio waves, and other electromagnetic and/oroptical carriers; and/or any combination of the foregoing.

FIGS. 1A-1I are diagrams illustrating an example grid power system 100.A site, such as a hydrocarbon services environment, may require thedistribution of power to various equipment distributed at or about thesite, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1I, 2 and 3 . While FIGS.1A-1I, 2 and 3 illustrate a power system for use at a wellsite, thepresent disclosure contemplates the power grid system may be appropriatefor any site that requires distribution of power to equipmentdistributed at or about the site.

Typical voltages ranges for power supplied by a grid is at or about12.47 kiloVolts (kV) to at or about 34.4 kV. As discussed in the presentdisclosure, a grid power system 100 may provide the required voltagerange necessary to provide power to a variety of equipment at a site.The present disclosure provides configurations of a grid power systemfor the efficient and safe distribution of power at a site.

As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a main breaker 102 may be coupled to anelectrical power source, for example, an electrical power source 120,for example, a utility power grid. The main breaker 102 may be operatedor controlled remotely. For example, one or more operations of the mainbreaker 102 may be remotely operated or controlled through acommunication line 130. Main breaker 102 may be coupled directly,indirectly, wired or wirelessly via communication line 130 to a controlcenter, a controller or a centralized command center 132 that comprisesan information handling system, for example, information handling system500 of FIG. 5 . The control center 132 may control one or moreoperations of the main breaker 102. The one or more operations of themain breaker 102 that may be controlled remotely or otherwise by thecontrol center 132 comprise an open operation, a close operation or bothof the main breaker 102, a monitor status operation (for example, stateof the main breaker as opened or closed), and a monitoring one or moreoperating parameters (including, but not limited to, voltage, current,harmonics, and power available). In one or more embodiments, the mainbreaker 102 may be enclosed in a housing. The main breaker 102 may be amobile unit so as to allow for transport between one or more sites. Themain breaker 102 provides electrical power to one or more components orequipment at the site via one or more output lines 105. In one or moreembodiments, main breaker 102 provides electrical power at the one ormore output lines 105 at the utility line voltage of the electricalpower source 120.

The main breaker 102 may comprise a current monitoring system 103.Current monitoring system 103 may comprise a current monitoring device(for example, a current transformer) and a control relay. In one or moreembodiments, the current monitoring system 103 may monitor one or moreoutput lines 105 and the main breaker 102 may be opened if a current atone or more output lines 105 reach, exceed or both a preset currentlimit or threshold. In one or more embodiments, the one or more outputlines 105 may be coupled to one or more switchgear units 106. Asillustrated in FIG. 1B, in one or more embodiments one or moreswitchgears 121 may be enclosed within the main breaker 102. In one ormore embodiments, the main breaker 102 may comprise the one or moreswitchgear units 106. Any one or more of the main breaker 102 and theone or more switchgears 121 may be mobile units, for example, mounted orotherwise disposed on or about a transportation device to allow for easeof moving or reconfiguration at or about a site or to one or more othersites. A transportation device may comprise a skid, trailer, pallet,railcar, any other mobile or portable structure or any combinationthereof.

The one or more switchgear units 106 protect one or more powerdistribution lines 107 that are coupled to one or more loads 108 suchthat the one or more loads 108 are not damaged due to power fluctuationsor other harmful conditions. For example, the one or more switchgearunits 106 may comprise a load control device 104, such as one or morebreakers, one or more fused disconnects, one or more other load controldevices or any combination thereof, to protect the one or more powerdistribution lines 107. In one or more embodiments, the one or moreswitchgear units 106 comprise a load control device 104 associated witheach power distribution line 107 coupled to one or more loads 108. Theone or more loads 108 may comprise one or more pumping units, forexample, one or more electric pumping units (EPU), one or more electricblending units, one or more water supply systems, one or more sand orproppant handling systems, one or more wireline units, one or morecommand centers, one or more crew houses, any lighting associated withthe hydrocarbon services environment, one or more coiled tubing units,any other equipment that requires electrical power at a line voltage atthe site and any combination thereof. The one or more loads may compriseone or more transformers 117 to reduce line voltage to a level requiredby the load 108. For example, a transformer of an EPU may reduce linevoltage to a level required by a variable frequency drive and thetransformer may have multiple secondary outputs where the outputs areshifted in phase to one another so that the multiple secondary outputsdistribute load current pulses in time with the benefit of reducingharmonic distortion as seen by the electrical power source 120, forexample, a utility power grid.

In one or more embodiments, the one or more switchgear units 106 maycomprise a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system 109.The HVAC system 109 controls the temperature of the switchgear unit 106.The switchgear unit 106 may comprise an uninterruptable power supply(UPS) 111 for providing power to a computing system 113 where thecomputing system 113 comprises a computer, a user interface, a networkinterface, any other computer or network component or any combinationthereof, for example, an information handling system 500 of FIG. 5 . Theone or more switchgear units 106 may comprise a transformer 115 toreduce line voltage to a level required for low voltage equipment withinthe one or more switchgear units 106. For example, the transformer 115may be coupled to the HVAC system 109, the UPS 111 or both to providethe required power. In one or more embodiments, the one or moreswitchgear units 106 may be coupled to a communication line 140. The oneor more switchgear units 106 may be coupled directly, indirectly, wiredor wirelessly via communication line 140 to an information handlingsystem, for example, information handling system 500 of FIG. 5 , to acontrol center 132 or any other controller. For example, the one or moreswitchgear units may communicate via a communication line 140 to theinformation handling system 500 one or more power parameters associatedwith the switchgear unit 106. The one or more parameters may beindicative of an amount of power available to one or more loads 108coupled to the switchgear unit 106.

As illustrated in FIG. 1C, a main power distribution unit 110 may bedisposed between the main breaker 102 and the one or more switchgearunits 106. In one or more embodiments, the one or more switchgear units106 may be enclosed within the main power distribution unit 110; themain distribution unit 110 may comprise the one or more switchgear units106. With reference to FIG. 1C, the main breaker 102 may be coupled tothe main distribution unit 110 via one or more output lines 105. Themain power distribution unit 110 may be coupled to the one or moreswitchgear units 106 via one or more main power distribution lines 119.In one or more embodiments, the main power distribution unit 110 aloneor comprising the one or more switchgear units 106 may be mobile ormounted or disposed on or about a transportation device. In one or moreembodiments, the main power distribution unit 110 may be controlled oroperated remotely using a communication line 150. Main powerdistribution unit 110 may be coupled directly, indirectly, wired orwirelessly via communication line 140 to an information handling system,for example, information handling system 500 of FIG. 5 . In one or moreembodiments, communication line 150, communication line 140 andcommunication line 130 may be the same communication line. The one ormore operations of the main power distribution unit 110 that may becontrolled remotely or otherwise may comprise an open breaker operation,a close breaker operation or both of the main power distribution unit110, a monitor status operation (for example, state of a breaker asopened or closed), and a monitoring one or more operating parameters(for example, voltage, current, harmonics, and power available). Themain power distribution unit 110 distributes power between the mainbreaker 102 and one or more switchgear units 106. For example, in one ormore embodiments, such as FIG. 2 , power may be supplied from a singlefeeder or source and the main power distribution unit 110 distributesthe power received from the single source to multiple systems or devicesat the site. In one or more embodiments, the main breaker 102 may beenclosed in a housing.

In one or more embodiments as illustrated in FIG. 1D, a main breaker 102may be coupled to a first switchgear unit 106 (switchgear unit 106A).The switchgear unit 106A may be coupled to one or more second switchgearunits 106 (switchgear unit 106B) via one or more power distributionlines 107A and one or more loads 108N via one or more power distributionlines 107N. Coupling the main breaker 102 to the switchgear unit 106Aincreases the number of breakers and drops available to the grid powersystem 100. Switchgear unit 106B may be coupled to one or more loads108A via one or more power distribution lines 107B. In one or moreembodiments, the interconnection between switchgear unit 106A andswitchgear unit 106B is through a circuit breaker. In one or moreembodiments, the power delivered to the first switchgear unit 106A maybe as discussed above with respect to FIG. 1A, 1B, or 1C.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1E-1I, a grid power unit 112 may also beutilized as part of the grid power system 100. FIG. 1E is similar toFIG. 1A except that the one or more switchgear units 106 are coupled toone or more grid power units 112 via one or more power distributionlines 107. In one or more embodiments, the one or more grid power units112 receive a line voltage via the one or more power distribution lines107. In one or more embodiments, one or more grid power units 112 asdiscussed with respect to FIG. 1E may be disposed between the switchgearunit 106A and the switchgear unit 106B and the one or more loads 108N,between the switchgear unit 106B and one or more loads 108A or both.Similar to FIG. 1A, the one or more switchgear units 106 of FIG. 1E mayalso be coupled to one or more loads 108 via one or more powerdistribution lines 107 and may be disposed on or about a transportationdevice. The one or more switchgear units 106 supply power to one or moregrid power units 112. The one or more grid power units 112 may compriseone or more switchgears 121N, one or more transformers 133 (for examplea medium voltage transformer) or both. The one or more grid power units112 receive line voltage from the one or more switchgear units 105 viathe one or more power distribution lines 107. The one or more grid powerunits 112 transform the received line voltage to a lower voltage anddistribute the lower voltage to one or more transformers 133 and one ormore switchgears 121N. The one or more transformers 133 may supply powerat one or more different voltage levels, for example, one or morevoltage levels below the line voltage level. The one or more loads 108may be coupled to the one or more grid power units 112 and may receivethe lower voltage from the one or more grid power units 112 via the oneor more grid power lines 131.

The one or more transformers 133 may comprise a single secondary windingor a plurality secondary windings that are shifted in phase from oneanother. The one or more transformers 133 may reduce harmonic distortionexpressed to the electrical power source 120. In one or moreembodiments, at least one of the transformers 133 may comprise adelta-wye transformer. The one or more transformers 133 may be coupledto a low-resistance ground (LRG) system or a high-resistance ground(HRG) system, for example, system 134. The wye connection of thesecondary winding allows the benefit of using a system 134, for example,the LRG system or the HRG system which reduces single-phase faultcurrent and improves personnel safety. The LRG system or HRG system 134may include monitoring circuitry to determine the state of one or morecomponents of the grid power system 100. The purpose of the LRG systemor HRG system 134 is to limit the fault current and improve safety so asto have less voltage rise on any one or more components. By monitoringthe ground current, the one or more grid power units 112 can not onlylimit the ground current but can also alter or change one or morealterations based, at least in part, on the ground current. For example,a fault condition may be indicated by ground current reaching orexceeding a threshold value. One or more actions may be taken as aresult of the fault condition, such as to alter one or more operationsof the one or more switchgear units 106. In one or more embodiments,when a fault condition occurs, the control system 132 may cause abreaker of a switchgear unit to be opened. For example, the controlsystem 132 may transmit a command to alter or change one or moreoperations of the switchgear unit.

FIG. 1F is similar to FIG. 1B, except that one or more grid power units112 may be disposed between the one or more switchgear units 106 and theone or more loads 108, as discussed with respect to FIG. 1E, such thatthe one or more switchgear units 106 couple to the one or more loads 108through the one or more grid power units 112. FIG. 1G is similar to FIG.1C, except that one or more grid power units 112 may be disposed betweenthe one or more switchgear units 106 and the one or more loads 108 asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 1E. FIG. 1H is similar to FIG. 1E,except that one or more grid power units 112 may be coupled to the mainbreaker 102 without an intermediate switchgear unit 106. In one or moreembodiments, the power delivered to the one or more switchgear units 106may be as discussed above with respect to FIG. 1E, 1F or 1G.

FIG. 1I is similar to FIG. 1G, except the one or more grid power units112 are coupled to the main power distribution unit 112 via one or moremain power distribution lines 119B and the one or more switchgear units106 via one or more main power distribution lines 119A. The one or moreswitchgear units 106 and the one or more grid power units 112 are thusin parallel to each other. The one or more grid power units 112 may becoupled to one or more loads 108N via the one or more grid power lines131 and the one or more switchgear units 106 are coupled to the one ormore loads 108A via the one or more power distribution lines 107. In oneor more embodiments, the power supplied to the one or more switchgearunits 106 as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1E, 1F and 1G.

In any one or more embodiments, the one or more output lines 105,distribution lines 107, main power distribution lines 119 and grid powerlines 131 may comprise individual conductors, multiple conductors,insulated bus bars, multi-core cables, multi-core cables with groundcheckback or any other features and any other type of conductors knownto one of skill in the art, and any other type of coupling, line orcable as required by a particular operation or job site.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example grid power systemenvironment 200, according to one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. The grid power system environment 200 may comprise any oneor more of the grid power systems 100 as discussed with respect to FIGS.1A-I, except that the electrical power source 120 is replaced with amobile power generation system 220. A mobile power generation system 220comprises a control unit, for example, house trailer 210, forcontrolling a gas turbine generator 212 and a power source, for example,turbine generator 212. A turbine generator 212, for example, a gasturbine generator, may be coupled to the grid power system 100. Gridpower system 100 may be coupled to one or more components or equipment220 at the grid power system environment 200. The one or more componentsmay be required for one or more operations or services associated withthe grid power system environment 200.

In one or more embodiments, the one or more components or equipment maycomprise a blending system 202. The blending system 202 may be coupledto a blender power distribution unit 204. One or more pumping systems206 may comprise one or more pumps 207, for example, a pumping system206A may comprise one or more pumps 207A and pumping system 206N maycomprise one or more pumps 207N. The blender power distribution unit 204and one or more pumping systems 206 may be coupled to the grid powersystem 100 such that the grid power system 100 provides power to theblender power distribution unit 204 and one or more pumping systems 206.For example, grid power system 100 may comprise a main breaker 102 and aswitchgear unit 106 as power component 208 (for example, as illustratedin FIG. 3B) and one or more grid power units 112. The power component208 may be coupled to the blender distribution unit 204 and the one ormore grid power units 112. The blender power distribution unit 204distributes the received power to one or more components of the blendingsystem 202.

The one or more pumping systems 206 may be coupled to a manifold 212 andmanifold 212 may be coupled to one or more wellheads 214, for exampleone or more wellheads 214A-214N.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example grid power systemenvironment 300, according to one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 except one or more components orequipment 220A are in parallel with one or more other components orequipment 220B. The configuration of FIG. 3 , for example, may be usedfor treatment of a plurality of wells at the same time.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 illustrating an example method for providing agrid power to an environment, for example a well services environment,according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. At step 402,grid power is provided from an electrical power source 120 to a mainbreaker 102, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1I. As illustratedin FIGS. 2 and 3 , the electrical power source may comprise a turbinegenerator 212, such as a gas turbine generator, a utility power grid,for example, a local utility provider or any other electrical powersource capable of providing grid power.

At step 404, one or more operations of the main breaker 102 arecontrolled or altered by the control center 132. For example, in one ormore embodiments, the main breaker may be monitored by the controlcenter 132. For example, the control center 132 may received one or moreoperating parameters from the main breaker 102 including, but notlimited to, voltage, current, harmonics and power available at the mainbreaker 102. The control center 132 may alter or control an operation ofthe main breaker 102 based, at least in part, on the received one ormore operating parameters. For example, the control center 132 may senda command to the main breaker 102 to open the main breaker 102 based, atleast in part, on the one or more operating parameters. In one or moreembodiments, the control center 132 may log any of the one or moreoperating parameters received.

At step 406, site power is provided from the main breaker 102 to one ormore components or equipment at a site, such as a well servicesenvironment, via one or more output lines 105, for example, asillustrated and discussed with respect to FIGS. 1A-1I. The powerprovided may be at a utility line voltage.

At step 408, a current monitoring system 103 of main breaker 102 maymonitor one or more output lines 105 from the main breaker 102 to one ormore components or equipment at the site. At step 410, it is determinedif a current threshold, for example, has been reached, exceeded or both.At step 412, if the current threshold has been reached, exceeded orboth, the current monitoring system 103 transmits a command to the mainbreaker 102 to alter or change an operation, for example, to cause themain breaker 102 to open. At step 414, in lieu of step 412 or inaddition to step 412, in one or more embodiments, one or more currentmeasurements from the current monitoring system 103 are transmitted viacommunication line 130 to a control center 132. For example,communication line 130 may comprise breaker status, breaker tripped, andany other status indication. At step 416, the control center 132receives the one or more current measurements and determines if acurrent threshold has been reached, exceeded or both and if so, at step418, the control center 132 communicates a signal via a communicationline 130 to the main breaker 102 to alter or change one or moreoperations of the main breaker, for example, to open the main breaker102.

At step 420, in one or more embodiments, one or more switchgear units106 coupled to the main breaker 102, a main power distribution unit 110coupled to the main breaker 102, or both may prevent one or more harmfulconditions at the power distribution lines 107 that are coupled to oneor more loads 108. At step 422, in one or more embodiments, as discussedwith respect to FIGS. 1E-1I, line voltage may be received by a gridpower unit 112. For example, a grid power unit may be coupled to one ormore switchgear units 106, to main breaker 102, main power distributionunit 110 or any combination thereof. At step 424, a voltage lower thanthe line voltage is distributed by the grid power unit 112, for example,as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1E-1I.

In one or more embodiments, any one or more steps of FIG. 4 may not beimplemented or may be implemented in any order.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example information handling system500, according to aspects of the present disclosure. A processor orcentral processing unit (CPU) 501 of the information handling system 500is communicatively coupled to a memory controller hub or north bridge502. The processor 501 may include, for example a microprocessor,microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), or any other digital or analog circuitryconfigured to interpret and/or execute program instructions and/orprocess data. Processor 501 may be configured to interpret and/orexecute program instructions or other data retrieved and stored in anymemory such as memory 503 or hard drive 507. Program instructions orother data may constitute portions of a software or application forcarrying out one or more methods described herein. Memory 503 mayinclude read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), solid statememory, or disk-based memory. Each memory module may include any system,device or apparatus configured to retain program instructions and/ordata for a period of time (for example, computer-readable non-transitorymedia). For example, instructions from a software program or anapplication may be retrieved and stored in memory 503 for execution byprocessor 501.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to FIG. 5 withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, FIG. 5shows a particular configuration of components of information handlingsystem 500. However, any suitable configurations of components may beused. For example, components of information handling system 500 may beimplemented either as physical or logical components. Furthermore, insome embodiments, functionality associated with components ofinformation handling system 500 may be implemented in special purposecircuits or components. In other embodiments, functionality associatedwith components of information handling system 500 may be implemented inconfigurable general purpose circuit or components. For example,components of information handling system 400 may be implemented byconfigured computer program instructions.

Memory controller hub (MCH) 502 may include a memory controller fordirecting information to or from various system memory components withinthe information handling system 500, such as memory 503, storage element506, and hard drive 507. The memory controller hub 502 may be coupled tomemory 503 and a graphics processing unit 504. Memory controller hub 502may also be coupled to an I/O controller hub (ICH) or south bridge 505.I/O hub 505 is coupled to storage elements of the information handlingsystem 500, including a storage element 506, which may comprise a flashROM that includes a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the computersystem. I/O hub 505 is also coupled to the hard drive 507 of theinformation handling system 500. I/O hub 505 may also be coupled to aSuper I/O chip 508, which is itself coupled to several of the I/O portsof the computer system, including keyboard 509 and mouse 510.

In one or more embodiments, a grid power system for distribution ofelectrical power at a site comprises a main breaker coupled to anelectrical power source, a first switchgear unit coupled to the mainbreaker, one or more loads coupled to the first switchgear unit and oneor more communications lines coupled to at least one of the firstswitchgear unit and the main breaker. In one or more embodiments, themain breaker comprises at least one of a switchgear and a currentmonitoring system. In one or more embodiments, the grid power systemfurther comprises a main power distribution unit coupled to the mainbreaker and the first switchgear unit, wherein the main breaker iscoupled to the first switchgear unit through the main power distributionunit. In one or more embodiments, the grid power system furthercomprises a second switchgear unit coupled to the first switchgear unit,wherein at least one of the one or more loads are coupled to the firstswitchgear unit through the second switchgear unit and a second one ormore loads coupled to the second switchgear unit. In one or moreembodiments, a grid power system further comprises a grid power unitcoupled to the first switch gear unit, wherein at least one of the oneor more loads are coupled to the first switchgear unit through the gridpower unit and a third one or more loads are coupled to the secondswitchgear unit. In one or more embodiments, the main breaker comprisesat least one of a switchgear and a current monitoring system. In one ormore embodiments, the grid power system comprises a main powerdistribution unit coupled to the main breaker and the first switchgearunit, wherein the main breaker is coupled to the first switchgear unitthrough the main power distribution unit. In one or more embodiments,the grid power system further comprises a main power distribution unitcoupled between the main breaker and the first switchgear unit, whereinthe first switchgear unit couples to the main breaker through the mainpower distribution unit, a grid power unit coupled to the main powerdistribution unit and one or more fourth loads coupled to the main powerdistribution unit. In one or more embodiments, the first switchgear unitcomprises at least one of an uninterruptable power supply, a computingsystem coupled to the uninterruptable power supply, a transformer, aheating, ventilation and air conditioning system coupled to thetransformer.

In one or more embodiments, a grid power system for distribution ofelectrical power at a well site comprises a main breaker coupled to anelectrical power source, one or more grid power units coupled to themain breaker and one or more loads coupled to the one or more grid powerunits. In one or more embodiments, the one or more grid power units arecoupled to the main breaker via a main power distribution unit.

In one or more embodiments, a method for distributing electrical powerat a site comprises coupling a main breaker to an electric power source,coupling a first switchgear unit to the main breaker, coupling one ormore loads to the first switchgear unit, coupling one or morecommunication lines to at least one of the first switchgear unit and themain breaker. In one or more embodiments, the main breaker comprises atleast one of a switchgear and a current monitoring system. In one ormore embodiments, the method for distributing electrical power at a sitecomprises coupling a main power distribution unit to the main breakerand the first switchgear unit, wherein the main breaker is coupled tothe first switchgear unit through the main power distribution unit. Inone or more embodiments, the method for distributing electrical power ata site comprises coupling a second switchgear unit to the firstswitchgear unit, wherein at least one of the one or more loads arecoupled to the first switchgear unit through the second switchgear unitand a second one or more loads coupled to the second switchgear unit. Inone or more embodiments, the method for distributing electrical power ata site comprises coupling a grid power unit to the first switchgearunit, wherein at least one of the one or more loads are coupled to thefirst switchgear unit through the grid power unit and a third one ormore loads are coupled to the second switchgear unit. In one or moreembodiments, the main breaker comprises at least one of a switchgear anda current monitoring system. In one or more embodiments, the method fordistributing electrical power at a site comprises coupling a main powerdistribution unit to the main breaker and the first switchgear unit,wherein the main breaker is coupled to the first switchgear unit throughthe main power distribution unit. In one or more embodiments, the methodfor distributing electrical power at a site comprises coupling a mainpower distribution unit between the main breaker and the firstswitchgear unit, wherein the first switchgear unit couples to the mainbreaker through the main power distribution unit, coupling a grid powerunit to the main power distribution unit and coupling one or more fourthloads to the main power distribution unit. In one or more embodiments,the first switchgear unit comprises at least one of an uninterruptablepower supply, a computing system coupled to the uninterruptable powersupply, a transformer and a heating, ventilation and air conditioningsystem coupled to the transformer.

Therefore, the present disclosure is well adapted to attain the ends andadvantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. Theparticular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as thepresent disclosure may be modified and practiced in different butequivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations areintended to the details of construction or design herein shown, otherthan as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that theparticular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered ormodified and all such variations are considered within the scope andspirit of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A grid power system for distribution ofelectrical power for hydraulic fracturing at a well site, comprising: amain breaker coupled to an electrical power source, wherein the mainbreaker is a mobile unit mounted on a trailer or skid, wherein the mainbreaker includes a current monitoring system which monitors current atone or more output lines of the main breaker, wherein the main breakeris opened when the current at the one or more output lines equals orexceeds a preset current threshold; a transformer coupled to one of theone or more of the output lines of the main breaker, wherein thetransformer provides a plurality of secondary outputs that are phaseshifted relative to each other; and two or more electric pumping unitscoupled to the transformer, wherein the transformer transforms a linevoltage received from the main breaker into a different voltage levelfor output to the two or more electric pumping units, wherein a firstsecondary output of the transformer is coupled to a first one of the twoor more electric pumping units, wherein a second secondary output of thetransformer is coupled to a second one of the two or more electricpumping units, and wherein the second secondary output of thetransformer is phase shifted relative to the first secondary output ofthe transformer.
 2. The grid power system of claim 1, further comprisinga first switchgear unit coupled to the transformer, wherein one of theplurality of secondary outputs of the transformer is provided to thefirst switchgear unit.
 3. The grid power system of claim 2, furthercomprising a grounding system coupled to the transformer, wherein thegrounding system comprises a a high-resistance grounding system, andwherein the two or more electric pumping units is coupled to thetransformer through the grounding system.
 4. The grid power system ofclaim 3, wherein at least one of the transformer, the first switchgear,and the grounding system are housed in a grid power unit coupled to themain breaker, wherein the grid power unit is mounted on a trailer. 5.The grid power system of claim 4, further comprising a second switchgearunit coupled to the main breaker and the grid power unit, wherein thegrid power unit is coupled to the main breaker through the secondswitchgear unit.
 6. The grid power system of claim 5, further comprisingone or more communication lines coupled to at least one of the mainbreaker or the switch gear unit.
 7. The grid power system of claim 6,wherein the main breaker is coupled via the one or more communicationlines to a control center which controls operation of the main breaker.8. The grid power system of claim 5, further comprising one or moresecondary loads coupled to the second switchgear unit.
 9. The grid powersystem of claim 8, wherein the second switchgear unit comprises one ormore load control devices which protect the one or more secondary loadscoupled to the second switchgear unit from damage due to powerfluctuations.
 10. The grid power system of claim 5, wherein the mainbreaker comprises a third switchgear unit.
 11. The grid power system ofclaim 5, further comprising a main power distribution unit coupled tothe main breaker and the second switchgear unit, wherein the secondswitchgear unit is coupled to the main breaker through the main powerdistribution unit, and wherein the main power distribution unit ismounted on a trailer or a skid.
 12. The grid power system of claim 11,wherein the grid power unit is coupled to the main breaker through themain power distribution unit and the second switchgear unit.
 13. Thegrid power system of claim 5, wherein the second switchgear unitcomprises at least one of: an uninterruptable power supply; a computingsystem coupled to the uninterruptable power supply; a transformer; and aheating, ventilation and air conditioning system coupled to thetransformer.
 14. The grid power system of claim 4, further comprising amain power distribution unit coupled to the main breaker and the gridpower unit, wherein the grid power unit is coupled to the main breakerthrough the main power distribution unit.
 15. The grid power system ofclaim 14, further comprising a second switchgear unit coupled to themain power distribution unit, wherein the second switchgear unit iscoupled to the main breaker through the main power distribution unit.16. The grid power system of claim 15, further comprising one or moresecondary loads coupled to the second switchgear unit.
 17. The gridpower system of claim 16, wherein the second switchgear unit comprisesone or more load control devices which protect the one or more secondaryloads coupled to the second switchgear unit from damage due to powerfluctuations.
 18. The grid power system of claim 1, wherein the one ormore loads may comprise a second transformer.
 19. A grid power systemfor distribution of electrical power for hydraulic fracturing at a wellsite, comprising: a main breaker coupled to an electrical power source,wherein the main breaker includes a current monitoring system whichmonitors current at one or more output lines of the main breaker,wherein the main breaker is opened when the current at the one or moreoutput lines equals or exceeds a preset current threshold; a main powerdistribution unit coupled to the main breaker; a plurality of electricpumping units coupled to receive electrical power from the main powerdistribution unit, wherein each of the electric pumping units is coupledto a manifold that is coupled to a wellhead at the well site; a blenderpower distribution unit coupled to the main power distribution unit; anda blending system coupled to the blender power distribution unit,wherein the blender power distribution unit receives power from the mainbreaker through the main power distribution unit and distributes thereceived power to one or more components of the blending system.
 20. Thegrid power system of claim 19, wherein each of the electric pumpingunits comprises a transformer that adapts electric power for a variablefrequency drive (VFD) associated with the electric pumping unit.